A Civil Beat Investigation: In Hawaii’s workers’ comp system, people with long-lasting injuries are often forced to battle doctors hand-picked by insurance companies to get treatment and disability payments.

Caldwell Touts Democratic Support

With the primary just days away, the Kirk Caldwell re-election machine is running advertisements in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser featuring Gov. David Ige.

“It is critical that the governor and mayor trust each other and work closely to resolve our toughest problems, such as homelessness,” the governor states in the ad, adding, “I want to continue working with him, and that’s why I’m supporting Kirk Caldwell.”

The Honolulu mayoral contest is nonpartisan, yet Caldwell is aggressively reminding people of his roots in the Democratic Party of Hawaii.

No doubt it has something to do with challenger Charles Djou, a Republican who is backed by former Democratic governor Ben Cayetano and who currently leads Caldwell in the polls.

Mayor Caldwell and former governor George Ariyoshi at the Honolulu Country Club Saturday.

Caldwell For Mayor

On Saturday, Caldwell held a “grassroots” rally at the Honolulu Country Club. Among those in attendance was former Democratic governor George Ariyoshi.

On Sunday, the campaign sent out an email blast titled “Oahu Democrats Speak From the Heart.”

It listed the names of several well-known Dems like Marcus Oshiro, Amy Agbayani, Bixby Ho, Ann Freed, Gary Saito, Michael Golojuch Jr. and Kealii Lopez, and it showed the mayor wearing one of his palaka-print shirts commonly associated with plantation-era Hawaii.

The email read in part, “Mayor Kirk Caldwell is a Democrat.He shares our values and our commitments.He is the only candidate that furthers our vision for what Honolulu can be.”

Former U.S. senator Dan Akaka is also featured in Caldwell promotional material.

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